"How much time do you need?"
No Ik-seon answered quickly.
"Fifteen days... No, a week will be enough."
I stared intently at Boss No's face. Viper avoided my gaze.
"Phew... For now, prepare it and hand it over within a week. I won't report this to my grandfather. He helped you enough to establish yourself, so why are you being greedy? It would be good if you just lived appropriately according to your station. Right?"
"......"
No Ik-seon blushed and could not answer. I clicked my tongue and added.
"My grandfather is still in good health. No matter what kind of scheme you are plotting with my uncles, my grandfather knows everything. Be careful. I am saying this out of concern for you. Throughout all ages and countries, a dog that bites its master gets killed, doesn't it? Then, I will see you in a week."
I said my goodbyes and turned around, but Boss No had no reaction at all. When I opened the door and went out, Manager Ha was standing there as expected. I showed a bright smile toward him and said.
"Manager Ha, let's go."
"It seems the talk went well, Young Master."
"Yes, thanks to you."
After that, I went to visit the other bosses over the course of a week. Bandit, Shin Seong-il. A former wrestling champion, he was a boy that my grandfather had sponsored since he was young.
Maybe because of that, among the Myeon District bosses, he was the person with the highest respect and loyalty toward my grandfather.
"Welcome, Young Master."
From our very first meeting, his reaction was completely different from the others. In a harmonious atmosphere, the handover of the ledgers and shell accounts was finished, and after sending Manager Ha out as well, I asked about the secret account.
"Ah, did he ask you to retrieve that as well? Please wait a moment."
Bandit opened a safe hidden behind a picture frame, took out a bankbook, and handed it over to me. 'It seems this person didn't pocket any money for himself? But why on earth did he join hands with Cheon Su-man and Cheon Su-han in my past life?'
I had doubts, but it was not like I could interrogate him about things in the future. I said my goodbyes to Bandit and came out. Shin Seong-il, who had followed me all the way to the office entrance, bowed his head to greet me.
"Young Master, then I will see you again next time."
"Mm. Yes, see you next time. By the way, Boss Shin. Using overly formal language is a bit burdensome. You can speak comfortably from next time."
"Hahaha. No, it's fine. If I speak too comfortably, my dialect comes out too strongly and people misunderstand. I will just serve you at exactly this level."
"Is that so? Understood. Do that if it makes you comfortable."
I left the place thinking that I should observe Boss Shin a bit more. And the last place I visited was Hammer's office. Hammer, Yu Ji-kang.
Among the four Myeon District bosses, he was the person with the longest career. A person who always carried a hammer in his arms. His build was somewhat small, but he was a figure who could not be easily ignored.
Even though we came in, he didn't welcome us and just sat in his chair doing his own work. Manager Ha showed signs of discomfort, but he did not step forward.
"Boss Yu?"
"Wait a moment. Let me finish what I'm doing, and I'll do the handover. Sit down and wait."
He spoke without even looking this way. 'Look at this bastard?' I sent a look to Manager Ha telling him not to step forward and sat on the sofa.
Thirty minutes passed. Just as my patience was slowly hitting rock bottom, Hammer got up from his chair and approached.
"Sorry about that. It's a ledger to be reported to the Chairman, so it needs to be organized neatly. That's why it took some time. You aren't upset, right? Manager Ha, Young Master?"
Saying words that didn't even sound like an apology, he sat at the head seat, crossed his legs, and put a cigarette in his mouth. Then he lit the cigarette, took a drag, and spoke.
"Check the ledger. There shouldn't be any problems... but tell me if there's anything wrong just in case."
Because he just said whatever he wanted, I missed the timing to get angry. I could feel his experience behind the nickname Hammer.
"Then I will take a look."
While I was looking at the ledger, Yu Ji-kang blew out cigarette smoke and spoke to Manager Ha.
"Manager Ha, I heard you're suffering a lot these days? Taking the Young Master around and changing his diapers. It's not a job fitting for someone with your experience, so it must be tough. The Chairman is being too harsh. If it's too hard, send him to me anytime. I'll kindly roll him around from A to Z." "He is the Chairman's grandson. Watch your mouth."
"No, it's not the Joseon Dynasty. Calling him Young Master is enough, what more do you want? Leave that sort of thing to you, the loyal servant of our Chairman, and don't expect it from me. I also have years of experience rolling in this field."
When his conversation with Manager Ha was cut off, he spoke to me this time as I was looking over the ledger.
"Young Master, can you understand it? Why not just hand it over to Manager Ha? Don't drag out the time. Do you even know what you're looking at?"
I could feel the thorns in the words he kept tossing out.
"Wait."
I held back my anger and looked over the ledger. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the ledger. It felt uncomfortable that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the ledgers of all the Myeon District bosses, but since the bankbooks were the urgent matter for now, I smiled and said.
"There's nothing wrong with the ledger. Give me the bankbooks too."
"Bankbooks? What bankbooks?"
"Don't you have the shell accounts you manage?"
"Huh? You want me to give you those? Why should I?"
"The Chairman told me to retrieve them."
Frowning, Hammer blew cigarette smoke toward my face.
"Hah, do I have to give them to you just because you say the Chairman told you to retrieve them? Tell the Chairman to come in person. Isn't that natural? The Chairman is the one who entrusted them to me, so the Chairman should be the one to come take them back. Isn't that right, Young Master?"
Then Manager Ha's cold voice could be heard.
"Are you serious, Boss Yu?"
Yu Ji-kang replied with a fishy smile.
"Why would I eat expensive food and make jokes? Of course I'm serious. Why?"
"......"
Manager Ha seemed angry and tried to get up from his seat. I raised my hand and stopped Manager Ha. Manager Ha, who was glaring at Hammer as if to kill him, looked back at me.
"Manager Ha, please wait outside for a moment."
"Young Master!"
"Just a moment. We need to resolve this through conversation. Go out and cool your anger for a bit."
"Phew... Understood."
Before going out, he took one look at Yu Ji-kang and left the room.
"Boss Yu. Stop joking around now, and hand over the bankbooks. And also give me the secret account that the Chairman entrusted to you without anyone knowing."
"Seeing that you even know about the secret account, it seems the Chairman is thinking of properly raising the Young Master. But so what? It's no different from before. Tell the Chairman to come in person. Then I'll hand them over."
"Boss!"
"Why the hell are you yelling? Hey! Since the time you were born, I'm the one who wiped the Chairman's ass in the Myeon District while watching out for those terrifying KCIA agents. I'm not someone you can just hold your head up high and order around. If I treat you as the Young Master, be satisfied with that much. The only person who can give me orders is the Chairman!"
It didn't seem like something that should be said by the person who had just been making excuses using the Chairman's name.
"Even the Boss Cheons don't give me orders, so who are you to throw a fit telling me to hand them over or not? A punk whose blood hasn't even dried on his head dares to!"
Yu Ji-kang stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray, took out a hammer from his coat, and placed it on the table.
"This hammer is the history of the Myeon District, and a living witness of the Myeon District's Private Loan Market. Don't act up in front of me, you bastard."
"Hah... You want to go all the way to the end, is that it?"
"Hahaha. The end? Hey, just because you have the Chairman's blood, you shouldn't think you can be treated on the same level as me. Are you saying we should all die together? If that's the case, tell me anytime. Pass that on to the Chairman."
With what kind of confidence was he saying such things? All sorts of thoughts entered my head. His attitude was going too far.
Even if he rode on the backs of the brothers Cheon Su-man and Cheon Su-han, he shouldn't be in a position to rebel against my grandfather like this, right? 'It seems there is something I don't know, no matter how I look at it.' I could confront him, but I decided to take a step back for now.
"Boss Yu. I will visit again tomorrow. If you act like this tomorrow as well, I won't stay still either."
"Haha, do you call that a threat? A threat goes like this! This is how you do it!"
Yu Ji-kang picked up the hammer with a fierce face and swung it. The dark, dull hammer fell aiming at my head. I did not dodge and glared at him.
The hammer flying through the air stopped right before it struck my head. Snickering, Yu Ji-kang withdrew the hammer.
"You still have guts because you have the Chairman's blood. You have much better eyes than the two bosses. Get lost. Tell the Chairman to come in person. Then it will end well for both of us."
As I stood up without a word, Yu Ji-kang plopped back down and picked up his cigarette pack. I reached out and grabbed the cigarette he took out.
"Why take it out when you don't even have the confidence to strike down?"
Seeing his expression stiffen, I bared my teeth and smiled.
"The moment you strike down, you'll die too. Did you think I would get scared just because you pretended to swing it? Stop playing tricks, and if you want to live, have the bankbooks ready by tomorrow."
When I opened my clenched hand, the crushed cigarette fell right in front of Hammer's eyes. I turned my body just like that.
"Let's see tomorrow. Whether you can still act like that tomorrow."
Before closing the door, I added that. Manager Ha and Hammer's subordinates were looking at each other. Manager Ha put on a relieved expression at my safe appearance and spoke.
"Are you done talking?"
"I decided to come back again tomorrow. Let's go."
"Yes."
We walked past Hammer's subordinates and left the office. While driving, Manager Ha asked if anything had happened inside the room.
"Well. There was an argument. He tried to strike my head with his hammer."
Screech!
The car stopped with a loud noise. While I was startled by the sudden braking, Manager Ha turned his head from the driver's seat and looked at me in the backseat.
"What did you say?"
"Calm down. We're in the middle of the road."
Sure enough, honking sounds and curses started coming from behind us.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"He stopped right before striking down. More importantly, let's just go."
"Yes."
The car slowly started moving again. Before long, having arrived at the house in Pyeongchang District, Manager Ha and I headed straight to the study to report to my grandfather.
"What?"
"He said the Chairman must come to receive them in person."
"......Hahaha, how interesting. Interesting. And?"
"I was told he tried to strike the Young Master with a hammer."
"What was that?"
Chairman Cheon was surprised by Manager Ha's words and looked at me.
"It stopped before it touched me. I'm not hurt. It's nothing to worry about."
"Are you really not hurt anywhere?"
"Yes."
Usually, Chairman Cheon treated me strictly in the study. However, upon hearing that I was almost hit by a hammer, he changed into a grandfather worrying about his grandson.
"Phew... That guy Ji-kang, what is he thinking?"
Chairman Cheon muttered to himself.
"Myeong-hun, why do you think that guy is acting like that?"
"I don't understand it either. I heard that when he first entered the Myeon District scene, he competed with the Chairman. But since I started serving the Chairman, he is a person who has never shown such a side even once... He was strange today. It felt like he was intentionally trying to provoke us."
"Is that so? So that's what happened. So what did you decide to do?"
Receiving my grandfather's gaze, I answered.
"I told him I would visit again tomorrow and to have the bankbooks ready."
"Is that so? Do you have the confidence? You could get hurt."
"It's a task that grandfather trusted and entrusted to me, so I must do it. I can do it."
Chairman Cheon put on a pleased expression at those words. For a while, only the sound of fingers tapping on the table flowed in the study. Having organized his thoughts, Chairman Cheon spoke to Manager Ha.
"Myeong-hun."
"Yes."
"Handle this matter yourself."
"Myself, you mean?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
"You can get them all handed over by tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, Chairman."
"And besides the shell accounts, there's one more secret account. Retrieve that as well."
"Yes."
Even though he brought up the story of a secret account that he didn't know about, Manager Ha answered without expressing a single doubt.
"Go out and handle it quickly. You judge and decide what to do with his punishment. Handle it cleanly so no problems arise."
"Yes, Chairman."
Manager Ha bowed and went outside. When Manager Ha went outside, my grandfather looked at me with a worried gaze.
"You rascal. You don't need to do dangerous things just to get acknowledged by me. I told you to learn the work, who told you to do the rough work?"
"While doing private loan work, isn't it impossible to not experience difficult and rough work? It's something grandfather went through as well. I can do it too."
"Make the subordinates do that kind of stuff. There's no need for you to step on the path I've walked. I will make it so you can work comfortably, so don't overdo it."
It was a completely different reaction from my past life, where I rolled from the bottom.
"You know that I didn't grow up smoothly either. If I can't even handle one person like that, would I be able to succeed grandfather?"
"Hahaha. This rascal, really."
Chairman Cheon, who laughed for a long while, suddenly stopped smiling and spoke.
"Leave this matter to Manager Ha. Watch how Manager Ha handles it. And learn. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
That was the end of the conversation with my grandfather. The next day. Manager Ha brought all the bankbooks.
"Did he hand them over obediently?"
"Yes."
It didn't seem like he would hand them over obediently though?